AELP welcomes Common Accord guide

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) has positively acknowledged the importance of offering best practice to training providers by following the sector’s new Common Accord guide.

The recommendation put forward by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) aims to deliver quality practice on contracting skills training to major providers.

It is a concept that is jointly developed by the Association of Colleges (AoC) and the AELP under a sector-led approach.

The Common Accord for supply chain management will require its provider to play a critical role in ensuring providers commit supply chains enabling the learner to receive maximum potential.

The view behind the new practice guide is to tackle inadequate due diligence undertaken by lead providers on subcontractors and to establish if their management fee has consistently proved to reflect the actual costs of services being provided to the subcontractor.

The procedure includes assessing potential sub-contractors to ensure that they meet required quality standards and supporting them to develop excellent operating practices.

Graham Hoyle, AELP chief executive, said: “I am confident that the Common Accord and the good practice guide will to help providers and colleges minimise the risk within supply chains, ensuring that they offer high-quality provision for employers and learners.

“AELP and AoC have worked closely to promote our sector’s willingness to share good practice and our ability to continue to learn from each other.  If the good practice is exemplified in the guide embedded in supply chains throughout the post-16 learning and skills sector, the government and its agencies can be confident that they are getting good value from the public purse.

“While we have approached this from a starting point of self-regulation, it is greatly encouraging that the SFA has recommended that all lead providers and colleges should refer to the Accord during all stages of the subcontracting process.

“AELP urges all of its SFA-funded members to be part of the Common Accord.”

Syema Majeed